The present invention relates to an indicator lamp for a vehicle interior, and specifically relates to the indicator lamp that enables to be attached to a door trim where rainwater can be fallen.
An indicator lamp is installed in a device of the vehicle interior. The indicator lamp indicates status information of the device, such as setting information, an on/off information or an abnormal information. The device is mainly located in an instrument panel. Recently, the large numbers of vehicles have been stolen, and an antitheft device has been developed. An indicator lamp, which indicates the working status of the antitheft device, is located in the instrument panel, above the instrument panel, or on a sun visor. The indicator lamp is also used as a warning lamp to a person who approaches the vehicle. In this case, the indicator lamp should be highly visible. Thus, the indicator lamp is preferably located in the door, especially in upper part of a door trim. The indicator lamp requires high reliability and low power consumption during times when the engine of the vehicle is stopped. Therefore, a light emitting diode (LED) is desirable to be used for the indicator lamp because the LED works with low power consumption.
The door of the vehicle includes a lot of devices, for example, a glass, a glass elevation device, a door lock device, and an audio device. The door trim includes an inside door handle and a storage space for maps and magazines. The door trim also includes thick buffering parts for protecting a passenger and for insulating noise. Therefore, space for installing the indicator lamp in the door or the door trim is restricted by many devices and parts. Because the door trim is elaborately designed parts, the indicator lamp is limited by the door trim design in its size and its attachment structure. In case the indicator lamp is located on the upper part of the door trim, the indicator lamp is required to be waterproofed because rainwater falls on the upper part of the door trim when the door or window is open.
As shown in FIG. 1, a light source of a lamp unit 1 is an LED lamp 2. The LED lamp 2 includes an LED chip (not shown) that is bonded on a metal lead frame 3 and is enclosed by epoxy resin. The lamp unit 1 includes a bezel 7 on a top of a casing 8. The lead frame 3 extends to a connector 5 through a circuit part 4.
The lamp unit 1 needs space or an insulating material therein to avoid electrical short. Thus, the lamp unit 1 needs to have a wide housing. In case that the lamp unit 1 is longer than the lead frame 3, the lead frame 3 has to be extended by a connection 6. When the lamp unit 1 includes a printed substrate, the lamp unit 1 needs to have a wide housing. The epoxy resin of the LED lamp 2 is visible as a light emitting part, the appearance of the light emitting part is less attractive. Because the LED lamp 2 is located near the bezel 7 of the lamp unit 1, water can directly come in the LED lamp 2 when it rains. Thus, the lamp unit 1 is not water proof.